Below is the actual classroom activity that I had my Freshman Orientation class do today.

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This week we’ve been discussing issues of social interaction and fitting in. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a short film by Joss Whedon that shows how wrong a person can go if he or she lives a life of isolation, constantly feeling put down by those who have power in society. It offers a view (albeit an exaggerated one) of the conflict between shy nerd and popular jock that is at once humorous, insightful, and sad. The characters in the film are ultimately responsible for their own choices and actions, as are we all, but it is easy to see how those choices are shaped and guided by larger societal forces.

As you are watching the film, answer the following questions in complete sentences. Some of the questions are easier than others, but I want to see that you’re paying attention and putting some thought into the issues raised by the story. You might not want to answer the questions in order, as some of them involve thinking about the story as a whole.

1. At the beginning of Act I, does Dr. Horrible seem like a real villain? Why or why not?

2. Is Dr. Horrible the only misfit to play an important role in the film? Explain your answer; don’t just say yes or no.

3. What is the major complication that occurs at the end of Act I?
4. In what way is Captain Hammer supposedly like pie? Who makes that comparison, and what does he or she mean by it?
5. After his defeat at the Superhero Memorial Bridge, what does Dr. Horrible need to do if he wants to get into the Evil League of Evil? What will happen if he fails to do it?
6. At the end of Act II, does Captain Hammer seem like a real hero? Why or why not?
7. In the song “So They Say,” is everyone convinced that things are going the way they should? Explain.
8. What are the double meanings when Dr. Horrible sings about “the world I wanted at my feet”?
9. At the end of the film, Dr. Horrible appears to have achieved his goal. Does he enjoy it as much as he thought he would? Is his stated goal of acceptance in the ELE really what he wanted? Explain.
10. Do you think the story had to end the way it did? What would it have taken for the ending to be happier? Don’t just say something simple like “so and so would need to survive”; describe HOW it could have happened.

I have a lot of family in Joplin, MO, which you probably know has been devastated by tornadoes recently.  Luckily, none of my relatives were hurt, despite suffering a lot of damage to homes and cars and such.  I say “luckily” because that’s all it is.  Many of my relatives are moderately to deeply religious, and some of them see the hand of God in the fact their families were spared.  I wonder how the families of the 117 dead (the last figure I saw; it might be more now) feel about that.  I wonder if they’re posting platitudes on Facebook about how “God is so good.”

Actually, they probably are.  Their sentiment is probably along the lines of “God has a plan” or “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle,” because that’s what good Christians tell themselves when confronted with the idea that their loving Father just doesn’t give a shit, if He exists at all.

In the Christian worldview, isn’t God in charge of things like weather, at least by virtue of being in charge of everything?  Why would a benevolent deity cause so much destruction and kill so many people, who were no more deserving of an untimely and terrifying death than anyone else?  Or, to look at it from the other side, why are people so ready to believe that God specifically spared their loved ones without thinking about what that means for the others: that God specifically chose NOT to spare them?  They dismiss these uncomfortable questions with Biblical verses that tell them we can’t understand God’s plan (so we shouldn’t ask too many questions), but I think the much simpler explanation is that there IS no plan.  Things that happen on Earth have earthly antecedents, and random chance plays a far bigger role in their outcomes than people are willing to accept.

So I’ll say it again: my family has been lucky, not blessed, in the Joplin disaster, and my heart goes out to those families who were not so fortunate.

So… um… I joined Tumblr. Okay, cool. I’ve been thinking about blogging again, so maybe this is how I’ll do it.